Zoo News Digest is the longest established and most widely read listing of current 'zoo' related news on the internet. It notes 'real' events of interest to people working within the zoo industry. By a Zoo Professional for Zoo Professionals and other interested parties. The Digest includes comments and notification of courses and events.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Al Ain Zoo Park Loses the Conservation Plot by Obtaining White Lions

It saddens me that the new Al Ain Park (Al Ain Zoo) should lose the plot so early on in in its latest metamorphosis. They are the latest collection to join in with living the lie and suggesting that the White Lion is a rare and endangered species. It IS a rare mutation...It is NOT a separate species! The zoo should be educating and telling the truth. I have no problems with White Lions or White Tigers for that matter, where they are used properly and truthfully but I don't think that the propagation of mutants has a place within the modern, serious Zoological Garden. Because to be sure they ARE Mutants, they are not normal, being the result of a recessive chinchilla gene. Read 'White Lion Breeding Is Not Conservation'.

It is not as if these latest arrivals are the only White Lions in United Arab Emirates. There are others in Abu Dhabi...at least three being held in the Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre. Are the arrivals in the zoo a case of one upmanship perhaps? There is no place for it in serious conservation.

White Lions have been commonly bred for use in Canned Hunts because the barbaric like to shoot something a bit different. White Lions are produced by breeding closely related animals together. This is the exact opposite of what reputable zoos are doing within established species breeding programmes! Here they very sensibly choose unrelated animals. There is NO official breeding programme for mutations like the White Lion.

I am told that the newspapers for the region have been filled with the story these past few days. Only a matter of time before the world press is sucked in by the lie too.

Breeding White Lions is ANTI-Conservation. There are probably a hundred plus of these deliberately produced freaks of nature in captivity. - Peter

UAE's Al Ain Park Aims To Help Save White Lions

The recent arrival of two white lions at the United Arab Emirates' Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort will hopefully raise an awareness of protecting the endangered species, according to Emirates news agency (WAM) quoting a report in "The National".

The brother and sister lions are among the last of such kind, and the park is calling the pair "conservation ambassadors".

It is believed that there have been 450,000 lions in the wild 50 years ago, but the number has dwindled to about 20,000. There are only a few white lions in captivity and they are believed to be extinct in the wild.

"We are trying to showcase the essence of the lion as a predator and a carnivore, and talk about the issues related to the conservation of lions throughout Africa and how all of us can help protect the animal, the environment of the animal, and animals in general," said Farshid Mehrdadfar, the park's animal collection manager.

Not long ago the African and Asiatic lions ranged from South Africa to the Atlas Mountains in North Africa, and from Mesopotamia to India.

"Wild populations of African lions are collapsing," said Dr Mike Maunder, the chief conservation, collection, and education officer, adding, "We fear that wild lions will only survive in a few protected areas."

The Asiatic lion is now found only in one small reserve in India.

The 18-month-old lions were a gift from the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in South Africa. They were flown on a passenger plane from South Africa to Dubai less than two months ago.

Since their arrival at Al Ain, Bridget Tighe, a trainer, has been working extensively to help acclimate the lions to their new surroundings.

"I was hand-feeding them and enforcing gentle behaviour with them, forming a bond so they trust me and know that I am not a threat to them," she said.

Once they began coming around I started basic training, teaching them to follow commands that allow me to care for them properly like being able to inspect their paws and check their health... Although the female remains slightly nervous, the male now lets the trainer ....

AL AIN — At first sight, 18-month-old lion siblings Sanbora and Shanwari seated under the shade of an aging tree at the Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort may look like a drawing by a child who forgot to add colour to the animals.

But with less than an estimated 30 remaining in the world, the rare white lions, that made their appearance for the public this week at the park, may very well be just left in photographs.

“The white lions help us highlight the plight of the lion in Africa, the loss of the lion in the rest of the world, and the need to conserve species and ecosystems,” said Dr. Mike Maunder Chief Conservation, Collection and Education Officer at AWPR.

The willdlife park is starting a breeding programme with the lions to contribute to preserving the almost extinct species. They are a gift from the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in South Africa.

The white lions are not albino — their hair and skin pigmentation is caused by the presence of a recessive gene known as chinchilla — colour inhibitor. The eyes, paw pads

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With piercing blue eyes and snowy white fur, this brother and sister pair are a distinctive new addition to Al Ain Wildlife Park’s menagerie of endangered animals.

The 18-month-old siblings travelled thousands of miles by plane from Cape Town in South Africa to take up residence at the zoo to highlight the plight of African lions and raise awareness of their dangerously depleted numbers.

The new arrivals are white lions, so called because of their unusual pigmentation, which leaves their coats an ashen colour and also their eyes, paws and skins with a bluish hue.

“Wild populations of African lions are collapsing and we’re losing the African lion.

We fear that wild lions will only survive in a few protected areas,” explained the resort’s head of collections, conservation and education, Dr Mike Maunder.

“The white lions at the wildlife park help us highlight the plight of the lion in Africa, the loss of the lion in the rest of the world, and the need to conserve species and ecosystems.”

White lions were first recorded in 1972 in Timbavati, part of the Kruger National Park of South Africa, though legend and folklore suggest they have prowled the savanna for hundreds of years.

The magnificent creatures were donated to the zoo from Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in South Africa.

As well as its efforts to protect native Arabian species, Al Ain Wildlife Park also runs conservation programmes for Sand cats, Arabian leopards and lions.

The white lions, who are now on display to visitors, are calling attention to the urgent need to protect the African lion from extinction.

In the 1960s, the African lion population exceeded 450,000 individuals.

“We are trying to showcase the essence of the lion as a predator and a carnivore, and talk about the issues related to the conservation of lions throughout Africa and how all of us can help protect the animal, the environment of the animal, and animals in general.”

Fifty years ago, the African lion range spread from South Africa to the Atlas Mountains in North Africa, and from Mesopotamia to India.

3 comments:

The Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort will not breed the white lions of Sanbona. Some newspapers did not accurately report the story.

The white lions at AWPR are ambassadors for their wild cousins. These magnificent creatures will help us tell the story of the plight of the African lion. Wild African lion populations have crashed in recent years and the people of the UAE must know about this crash.

White lions capture the attention of our visitors and with that attention, the park will educate people about the population crash and offer opportunities to participate in saving the lions and their habitats.

The Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort is committed to the conservation of species and works with numerous organizations throughout Arabia, Africa and many other parts of the world. We are partners with the Lewa Conservancy, the San Diego Zoo, and the Sahara Conservation Fund. Recently, the Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort initiated a program to support the sand cat in the UAE and is working with an establishment in Yemen to bring populations of the arabian leopard back to their natural habitats.

Thank you for your response Kirk. I don't dismiss your work at all but through my blog and Digest comment on many things. I have mentioned and correct commented on the Sand Cats and Vultures in recent blog entries.

With the White Lions and Al Ain, two interests of mine came together. Al Ain because I used to work there and white cats which I have a special objection too especially when being promoted as rare, endangered or as a species.

I strive to get the zoo world to get the facts straight on white cats and let the public know the truth.

Very interesting, as an animal protection and animal welfare advocate I do second Peter Dickinson, white cats should not be promoted as rare, endangered or as a species.Also, I read that AWPR will host the WAZA meeting 2015 ?I have not been to AWPR but I went through the site, and institutional objectives - I have a remark if you would allow me: why would the AWPR give 3 Orangutans as present to Giza Zoo when they know that their is no enclosure suitable to meet the species specific needs? the institution objectives of AWPR states Why do you breed animals and then send them or give them as a gift to suffer? you do have space and money why do you do this? Is this credible? If AWPR are promoting values for conservation, why didn't they instead, either send the orangutans they breed to suitable facility which has complying conditions to meet the species specific needs, or be generous enough to fund an enclosure at Giza Zoo, for those Orangutans... credit would then be given to AWPR, instead of critics? Do you know how are the Orangutans now in Giza Zoo? do you know anything about the enclosure?Dina Zulfikardina_zulfikar@yahoo.com

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